16 February 2023 , 12:01
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The Rugby Football Union has confirmed Wasps will return to rugby in the Championship next season, but the fate of Worcester Warriors remains uncertain.
Six-time Premiership champions Wasps fulfilled the necessary criteria by Tuesday's deadline to reclaim its place in England's second tier under new ownership. However, Worcester withdrew its own application for Championship status following negotiations with its new owners, the Atlas Group.
"Our goal has consistently been to see Wasps and Worcester in the Championship and preserve the clubs for their fans and the wider communities they serve," said RFU CEO Bill Sweeney. "While we had hoped to see both clubs in the Championship next season, we are pleased that following months of work from all parties involved, Wasps will have a place.
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"We know this will be very welcome news to all those connected with the club. We would like to thank all those involved with Wasps for the open and collaborative dialogue over recent months.
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Both clubs' men's teams were eliminated from the current Premiership campaign and forced to cease all rugby activity after entering administration. The Atlas Group recently announced plans to rebrand Worcester as 'Sixways Rugby' which has been greeted with backlash from the fan base and wider rugby community.
Despite initially being approved to take over the club in early February, Atlas' ownership of Worcester rugby remains in question with no clear plan for the club's future. And Wasps could in fact end up playing rugby next season at Sixways Stadium, with an announcement over the club's venue vision expected on Monday.
Wasps will be back in England's second tier next season after the new owners had their application approved (David Rogers/Getty Images)"For a club to continue following insolvency, it is imperative that it has a sustainable and funded business plan, that there is transparency about ownership and funding structures, and that rugby creditors are paid," continued Sweeney. "Payment of rugby creditors is an integral part of our insolvency regulations, and we cannot approve the takeover of a club without agreement that rugby creditor payments will be made.
"Given Atlas’s withdrawal from the process, we remain concerned that there are insufficient funds to pay rugby creditors which is a responsibility of the administrator of WRFC Trading Limited and the liquidator of WRFC Players Limited to determine.
The RFU added it "will continue to work with Atlas over the coming weeks" in order to ascertain the future of rugby at Worcester. Co-owner James Sandford has said the club could go back on its 'Sixways Rugby' rebrand following the negative response.
A rival consortium bid fronted by former Warriors director of rugby Steve Diamond remains viable, and Diamond recently told BBC Hereford & Worcester it could have secured a place in next season's Championship. The women's team at Worcester will at least retain top-tier rugby after it was confirmed in late January that the team has been given a place in the Allianz Premier 15s.